The Promo Playbook by Cubic Promote

charles-au
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Welcome to The Promo Playbook, your backstage pass to the world of promotional marketing. Brought to you by Cubic Promote (https://www.cubicpromote.com.au/) Australia’s award-winning supplier of branded merchandise, this podcast is your go-to guide for making marketing and promo products work harder for your business. In each episode, we unpack real campaigns, talk to industry insiders, and share practical strategies to help you boost brand visibility, engage customers, and stand out. From trade shows to onboarding kits, we cover it all — with no fluff, just real insights that convert.

  1. MAR 13

    Boring" B2B Business by 690% (The Social Playbook)

    690% growth in 30 days sounds like a typo until you see what changed: we stopped trying to look “professional” on every platform and started trying to be interesting where it counts. I’m Charles from Cubic Promote, and I’m breaking down the social media strategy that helped our Instagram and TikTok viewership and engagement jump fast using short form content that actually fits how people scroll.  We get into the B2B trap that keeps brands invisible: treating every channel the same and posting dry updates that feel like press releases. LinkedIn can reward education and company news, but Instagram Reels and TikTok play by different rules. For transactional B2B businesses like branded merchandise and uniforms, there’s only so much you can “educate” the market about. What you really need is brand recognition built through repeated touchpoints, and humour is one of the cleanest ways to earn that attention without begging for it.  I walk through our practical content system: short office skits from five seconds to three minutes, a simple workflow that combines AI generated base scripts with improvisation, and a deliberate “The Office” style tone that corporate buyers instantly recognise. We also talk cadence, why perfectionists get punished, and the weird truth that the clips you think will be bangers often flop while the “good enough” posts travel. Plus, the unexpected upside: customers calling to say they laughed and a genuine lift in team morale.  If you want more B2B social media growth tactics, TikTok marketing ideas, and a realistic playbook for building demand through brand, subscribe, share this with a founder who plays it safe, and leave a review with the one thing you’ll try next week. Follow Cubic Promote: 🌐 Website: https://www.cubicpromote.com.au 🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/cubic-promote 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubicpromote/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubicPromote 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cubic_promote 📌 Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/cubicpromote/ ⭐ Google Business: https://share.google/hskqvOCdVzgckNmYJ ✖️ X: https://x.com/cubicpromote

    5 min

  2. MAR 2

    Building A B2B Moat With Omnipresence And Retention

    Buyers don’t wake up wanting your product; they wake up with problems, deadlines, and pressure. We unpack a practical B2B growth system that makes your brand the obvious choice long before a formal search begins—and keeps you indispensable long after the deal closes. We walk through a true moat you can build without patents or exclusivity: omnipresence built on adapted messaging. Our blog proves depth for procurement and marketing leaders, Instagram humanizes the team, LinkedIn drives thought leadership, Reddit fosters conversation, YouTube builds long-form trust, and email plus retargeting reinforces memory. Then we step offline. Account managers knock on doors with respect, ask for meetings, and show up at events—not to collect cards, but to embed in the business community and reduce buyer risk. When people say “I see you everywhere,” that’s strategy, not luck. Speed ties it all together. Fast replies, fast quotes, and fast delivery strip friction from the buying path, build reputation, and trigger referrals that drop acquisition costs. We also share how AI sharpens thinking—clarifying flows and tightening messages—so complex value becomes easy to understand for busy buying committees. The biggest shift, though, is our pivot from chasing new logos to obsessing over retention. We earn loyalty by owning mistakes, solving problems quickly, and delivering consistently, turning first wins into long-term partnerships that compound. If you’re ready to rethink lead generation, engineer fifteen meaningful touchpoints, and build a brand buyers trust before they compare vendors, hit play. Subscribe for more practical B2B marketing playbooks, share this with a teammate who owns pipeline, and leave a review to tell us which tactic you’ll implement first. Follow Cubic Promote: 🌐 Website: https://www.cubicpromote.com.au 🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/cubic-promote 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubicpromote/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubicPromote 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cubic_promote 📌 Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/cubicpromote/ ⭐ Google Business: https://share.google/hskqvOCdVzgckNmYJ ✖️ X: https://x.com/cubicpromote

    8 min

  3. FEB 11

    What We stopped Doing Once We Got Big

    Growth isn’t always about adding more. We found our stride by stopping the right things—and the results reshaped our marketing, our team, and the way we serve customers. We open up about the specific tactics we cut, why they weren’t serving us at scale, and how focusing on fewer, better moves led to sustainable growth without compromising customer experience. We start with marketing myths that looked effective from the outside but underperformed in practice. Flash discounts trained delay and hurt margins, while purchased call and email lists drained time with poor data and low intent. We explain how shifting to consistent, year-round pricing and building demand through relevance paid off. You’ll hear why we opted out of big, crowded trade shows in favor of focused niches, reduced spend on LinkedIn paid when CPA spiked, and resisted bidding during seasonal search surges. We also share why we stopped routine company announcements unless they were truly useful to customers. From there, we get practical about people and process. Hiring for potential slowed delivery; hiring for immediate capability raised the bar on day one. By building roles around strengths—on-camera communicators in content, great talkers in service, process-minded folks in operations—and investing in targeted upskilling, we cut context switching and improved outcomes. We’re candid about the hard decisions too, including changing roles and, when needed, parting ways to support the next stage of scale. Finally, we talk trust and focus. Underpromise-overdeliver became a policy that protects our brand. We stopped saying yes to every printable item, referred non-core work to great partners, and doubled down on what we do best: promotional products and uniforms. On a personal note, we filtered advice to proven experts and looked beyond local competition to learn from leaders across the US, Europe, and Asia. That global lens sharpened our site, processes, and operations. If you’re feeling stretched as you grow, this conversation offers a clear playbook: remove the busywork, specialize with intent, and test your strategy against the best. Subscribe, share with a teammate who needs clarity, and leave a review with one thing you’re ready to stop doing next. Follow the host: Charles Liu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-liu-042b9124/ Follow Cubic Promote: 🌐 Website: https://www.cubicpromote.com.au 🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/cubic-promote 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubicpromote/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubicPromote 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cubic_promote 📌 Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/cubicpromote/ ⭐ Google Business: https://share.google/hskqvOCdVzgckNmYJ ✖️ X: https://x.com/cubicpromote

    9 min

  4. JAN 15

    Lets talk about marketing - "Our Own"

    Most brands chase tactics; we chased presence and everything changed. Charles and Jasmine break down how #CubicPromote moved from scattered campaigns to an integrated, omnipresent marketing system that earns 15–24 meaningful touchpoints across a buyer’s journey. The result: steady trust, stronger recall, and content that compounds rather than evaporates. We share the real story behind our 2025 pivots: starting with rough Instagram posts, tightening our creative week by week, and watching engagement climb as quality and clarity improved. You’ll hear why consistency beats creativity at the start, how feedback loops sharpen messaging, and when creativity finally kicks in to elevate the work. We also map the channels that matter for B2B: Reddit for focused conversations and insight you can’t get anywhere else, Instagram and TikTok for durable reach and social proof, Pinterest for visual discovery and niche intent, and email as the direct line—when it’s hyper-targeted and genuinely useful. Email gets a frank diagnosis and a fix: segmentation, behavioral cues, and tailored value propositions that speak differently to a new coordinator than to a seasoned office manager. We dig into why single campaigns only succeed when they’re part of a larger effort, how to stitch offline and online moments into coherent journeys, and what it looks like to be truly omnipresent without sounding generic. Finally, we talk about AI the way practitioners use it: a communication amplifier that strengthens your own voice instead of replacing it. We’re setting a clear direction for 2026, quality content people want to consume, educational and entertaining formats that build authority, and a consistent cadence that earns attention over time. If you’re building a B2B marketing engine or rethinking your channel mix, this conversation will give you practical steps and a framework to make your brand hard to forget. Enjoy the insights, and if this resonated, subscribe, share with a teammate, and leave a quick review so others can find it. Connect with our host: Charles Liu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-liu-042b9124/  Connect with our guests: Jasmine Liu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-liu-993bb63/ Follow Cubic Promote: 🌐 Website: https://www.cubicpromote.com.au 🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/cubic-promote 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubicpromote/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubicPromote 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cubic_promote 📌 Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/cubicpromote/ ⭐ Google Business: https://share.google/hskqvOCdVzgckNmYJ ✖️ X: https://x.com/cubicpromote

    10 min

  5. 12/15/2025

    How Many Times Does Someone Need to See a Brand Before They Buy?

    Ever wondered why it takes so many brand moments before a shopper finally buys? In b2c retail seven touchpoints used to be enough and now 20 to 40 is the norm. With Wendy and Catherine, we compare old assumptions to current behavior, tracing how a product moves from a flash on Instagram to a cart at Woolies, and how discounts, reviews, and retail trust work together to shrink buyer hesitation. We get practical fast: where new brands get noticed (social feeds, review-driven news articles, buses, shelves), why algorithms surface quick-bite claims that hook specific demographics, and how micro-influencers can shortcut the search phase when their lifestyle matches the audience. We also examine the 81% trust threshold, the 19% who still buy on impulse, and the underrated role of retailer credibility in early trials. Expect real stories about bone broth, daily vitamin shots, and the social proof that nudges a curious scroll into a first order. Design choices matter more than most teams admit. Color can boost recognition by up to 80%, but only if your palette and packaging stay consistent across SKUs and channels. We unpack the line between clever and confusing—like stylized logos that spark “What brand is that?” searches—and why legibility wins on small screens and crowded shelves. Finally, we lay out a multi-channel strategy that respects generational habits: Google for boomers, Instagram for Gen Z, plus promotional products and outdoor placements that add daily, durable impressions. The goal is orchestration, not noise: a sequence of clear, visual, trustworthy moments that compound into memory and conversion. If this breakdown gave you new ideas for your next campaign, follow the show. Charles Liu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-liu-042b9124/ Connect with our guests:   •  Katherine Durham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-durham-772876193/   •  Wendy Li:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-li-424821161/ Follow Cubic Promote: 🌐 Website: https://www.cubicpromote.com.au 🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/cubic-promote 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubicpromote/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubicPromote 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cubic_promote 📌 Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/cubicpromote/ ⭐ Google Business: https://share.google/hskqvOCdVzgckNmYJ Follow Cubic Promote: 🌐 Website: https://www.cubicpromote.com.au 🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/cubic-promote 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubicpromote/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubicPromote 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cubic_promote 📌 Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/cubicpromote/ ⭐ Google Business: https://share.google/hskqvOCdVzgckNmYJ ✖️ X: https://x.com/cubicpromote

    15 min

  6. 12/02/2025

    Inside the Promo World What We Love, What We Remember, and the Clients Who Make It Easy

    Ever wondered what it actually takes to turn a scrappy merch idea into something people love to wear, keep, and show off? We open the studio doors and walk through the messy, creative, deeply satisfying process behind memorable promotional products and uniforms—complete with tight deadlines, picky color matches, and the joy of getting it right. We start with the spark: unexpected product requests that keep our creative muscles fresh. From a large international order of custom wombat plush where ear color mattered as much as delivery timing, to a complex conference collection for the housing sector in Canberra with strict specs and zero room for error, the team explains how ideas meet feasibility. You’ll hear how clear briefs, vector artwork, and early approvals protect quality, and why organized clients help us trade guesswork for speed. Then we shift to activations and premium keepsakes—Netflix-branded pieces that ride pop culture waves, and Luna Park’s Squid Game tokens designed to feel worth winning. Each example shows how storytelling, materials, and finishing choices turn branded items into lasting mementos. Behind the scenes, operations turns ambition into repeatable success. We dig into apparel print methods like screen printing and sublimation, how fabric choice affects color and durability, and the small checks—stitch density, legible micro text, pantone alignment—that prevent big headaches later. When timelines compress, we prefer tight option sets over sprawling catalogs, so we can hit budgets and ship dates without sacrificing brand impact. The throughline is simple: clear goals, honest communication, and a willingness to decide. That’s how great merch lands on time and gets used again and again. If you’re planning your next kit, activation, or uniform rollout, this one’s for you.  Follow our host: Charles Liu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-liu-042b9124/ Connect with our guests: Katherine Durham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-durham-772876193/Mark Tyssen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-tyssen-b141aa257/Swami Rossat: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swami-rossat/Anil Gupta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anilgupta72/Wendy Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-li-424821161/Follow Cubic Promote: 🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/cubic-promote 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubicpromote/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubicPromote 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cubic_promote 📌 Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/cubicpromote/ ⭐ Google Business: https://share.google/hskqvOCdVzgckNmYJ ✖️ X: https://x.com/cubicpromote #CubicPromote #CustomMerchandise #PromotionalItems #Australia #B2B #Podcast #promoplaybookau  Follow Cubic Promote: 🌐 Website: https://www.cubicpromote.com.au 🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/cubic-promote 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubicpromote/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubicPromote 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cubic_promote 📌 Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/cubicpromote/ ⭐ Google Business: https://share.google/hskqvOCdVzgckNmYJ ✖️ X: https://x.com/cubicpromote

    8 min

  7. 11/24/2025

    We Asked Our Crew Which Corporate Gifts They’d Choose And Why

    We survey our team to learn which corporate gifts they’d actually choose, what they’d regift, and which trends are surging as offices head into the holidays. The result is a practical guide to shareable treats, quality tech, and summer-ready picks that people will use. • hampers ranking first for delight and variety • premium mugs and notebooks as safe, high-utility choices • power banks and tech performing when retail-grade and trusted • summer picks like barbecue sets and picnic gear • apparel trends including umbrellas, caps and socks • team play items like pickleball drawing family use • food and experiences as reliable morale boosters • pitfalls of niche items and basic, generic tech Please share your gift ideas or the weird and wonderful gifts you’ve received via our social links below Connect and Follow Charles (host) via Linkedin: (47) Charles Liu | LinkedIn Cubic Promote Website & Social media Website: Top promotional products supplier in Australia | Cubic Promote Cubic Promote Linkedin: (47) Cubic Promote: Company Page Admin | LinkedIn Youtube: Cubic Promote - YouTube Pinterest: (5) Pinterest Facebook: (20+) Facebook Instagram: (1) Instagram Find out more and visit our website: https://www.cubicpromote.com.au/ Follow Cubic Promote: 🌐 Website: https://www.cubicpromote.com.au 🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/cubic-promote 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubicpromote/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubicPromote 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cubic_promote 📌 Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/cubicpromote/ ⭐ Google Business: https://share.google/hskqvOCdVzgckNmYJ ✖️ X: https://x.com/cubicpromote

    8 min

  8. 11/18/2025

    What’s Next in Australia’s Promotional Products Industry with APPA’s Ciara Brennan

    Special Guest: Ciara Brennan (Sustainability Manager: APPA: Australian Promotional Products Association) Host: Charles Liu (Owner: Cubic Promote) Want proof that greener promo isn’t just possible but profitable? We sit down with sustainability manager Ciara Brennan from the Australian Promotional Products Association to unpack how real change happens when suppliers, distributors, and buyers stop deflecting and start collaborating. From translating dense legislation into clear playbooks to unlocking grants and coaching first-time ESG reports, Ciara shows how practical steps add up to meaningful emissions cuts without derailing budgets or timelines. We dig into where Australia stands compared to Europe: faster solar adoption on one hand, tougher freight realities and looser recycling systems on the other. Ciara estimates a variable two-year gap and explains why a slow, steady transition is the most resilient choice. The surprise insight: the cheapest merchandise rarely wins. Customers want quality, story, and proof—signals that education beats discounts, and that transparency sells. That’s where ideas like the EU product passport come in: QR codes that reveal manufacturing location, water use, and freight mode, turning swing tags into powerful moments of truth. Ciara also takes aim at the industry’s overreliance on offsets. She makes the case for “real zero” over “net zero,” prioritizing actions like electrifying fleets, choosing renewable energy, and switching to recyclable or compostable packaging. The bigger unlock is accountability—openly sharing supplier data, certification know-how, and best practices that raise the floor for everyone. By 2030, success looks like visible footprints, smarter procurement, less landfill-bound swag, and a culture where sustainability knowledge isn’t proprietary but shared. If this conversation sparks ideas for your next campaign or sustainability plan, subscribe, share this episode with your team, and leave a review with the one change you’ll make this quarter. Your feedback guides our next deep dive. Connect and Follow Ciara via Linkedin: (47) Ciara Brennan | LinkedIn Connect and Follow Charles via Linkedin: (47) Charles Liu | LinkedIn Cubic Promote Website & Social media Website: Top promotional products supplier in Australia | Cubic Promote Cubic Promote Linkedin: (47) Cubic Promote: Company Page Admin | LinkedIn Youtube: Cubic Promote - YouTube Pinterest: (5) Pinterest Facebook: (20+) Facebook Instagram: (1) Instagram Follow Cubic Promote: 🌐 Website: https://www.cubicpromote.com.au 🔗 LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/cubic-promote 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cubicpromote/ 👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CubicPromote 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cubic_promote 📌 Pinterest: https://au.pinterest.com/cubicpromote/ ⭐ Google Business: https://share.google/hskqvOCdVzgckNmYJ ✖️ X: https://x.com/cubicpromote

    25 min
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About

Welcome to The Promo Playbook, your backstage pass to the world of promotional marketing. Brought to you by Cubic Promote (https://www.cubicpromote.com.au/) Australia’s award-winning supplier of branded merchandise, this podcast is your go-to guide for making marketing and promo products work harder for your business. In each episode, we unpack real campaigns, talk to industry insiders, and share practical strategies to help you boost brand visibility, engage customers, and stand out. From trade shows to onboarding kits, we cover it all — with no fluff, just real insights that convert.

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